Man accused of leading police on high-speed chase down runway at KC’s downtown airport
A federal grand jury in Kansas City has indicted a 34-year-old Olathe man following a high-speed police chase down a runway at the Wheeler Downtown Airport in Kansas City, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri announced Wednesday.
Efren Torres-Rodriguez was charged with one count of damaging and interfering with an air navigation facility, damaging and disrupting an international airport and being a felon and drug user in possession of a firearm, all felonies.
He was also charged with a misdemeanor count of possessing methamphetamine. The grand jury handed up the indictment on May 18 and he was arrested Wednesday.
Kansas City police officers found Torres-Rodriguez while checking out a suspicious car on Feb. 1. He allegedly passed out in the driver’s seat of a running Dodge Charger parked near a gate at the airport, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Torres-Rodriquez woke up when officers turned off the vehicle and allegedly refused orders to get out of the car.
He started the car and drove away, crashing through the gate to the airfield. With officers in pursuit, he allegedly reached speeds up to 100 mph as he fled down the runway, according to the news release.
The car became disabled when he tried to cross over into a grassy area. While officers placed him under arrest, they found a plastic bag in his pants that allegedly contained methamphetamine.
During a search of his car, police allegedly found under the driver’s seat a Glock .40 semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine.They were not loaded. Police also found several rounds of ammunition.
No attorney was listed for Torres-Rodriguez.
